The Benefits of Finasteride

If you’re a guy who’s experiencing hair loss, you don’t have to sit there and take it. You have many options for treatment, ranging from the Cappilus Laser Hat to scalp micropigmentation. Other treatment options include surgery and medications. Finasteride is a prescription hair loss medication that can help treat male pattern baldness. Learn more about finasteride, also known as Propecia, and see if it’s a good hair loss treatment for you.

What is Propecia?

Propecia is the brand name of finasteride, a 5-alpha-reductace inhibitor. Finasteride was originally marketed as a medication to help guys with prostate issues. But doctors conducting the clinical trials noticed that it also seemed to help regrow hair. In the late 1997s, the FDA approved the medication for treating male pattern baldness.

To understand how Propecia works, it helps to understand male pattern baldness. Male pattern baldness occurs in guys who are sensitive to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a stronger form of testosterone. DHT causes certain hair follicles, usually those on the top of the scalp, to shrink, or miniaturize. The shrunken follicles are no longer able to produce healthy hair. Propecia blocks 5-alpha-reductase, the enzyme that transforms testosterone into DHT.

Benefits of Propecia for Men

During clinical trials for the medication, about 86 percent of the men who took it saw their hair loss stop. About 65 percent saw regrowth of hair, according to WebMD. Propecia is so far that only medication available that is able to lower the levels of DHT in a man’s body. It’s often recommended as the first line of treatment against male pattern baldness by the American Hair Loss Association.

Another benefit of finasteride is that it can be taken on its own or used along with another hair restoration procedure to improve results. For example, your doctor might prescribe Propecia after hair restoration surgery to help slow down or halt the progression of hair loss in untreated areas of the scalp. The Capillus Laser Hat can help stimulate hair growth along with taking finasteride.

Side Effects of Propecia

It’s important to understand that Propecia can cause a number of side effects, some of them more severe than others. One of the most noteworthy side effects is a loss of libido, which can last for as long as you take the medicine. Such side effects are usually very rare, though and affect a very small percentage of patients.

Another thing to know about Propecia is that you need to continue to take it to see the benefits. Hair loss can progress or return if you go off of the medication for any reason.

Also, Propecia is for men only. Women shouldn’t take it and it’s particularly important that women who are pregnant not even touch it, as handling crushed finasteride tablets can cause birth defects in male fetuses.

While Propecia can be an effective hair loss treatment for many men, it’s not your own option. To learn more about hair restoration and other hair loss treatments, call 844-261-7020 to schedule a consultation at Contemporary Hair Transplant in Paramus, NJ today.